The full extent of the police errors over Hillsborough may not be investigated
by the service’s watchdog.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission said it would not be able to look at allegations that had already been dealt with by its predecessor, the Police Complaints Authority, more than 20 years ago.

It also warned that it would take “some weeks” before it decided which claims about officers’ handling of the football stadium tragedy it would study, following last week’s publication of a landmark report that exposed how police hid criticism of their failings and tried to blame fans instead.

However the IPCC did confirm it was looking at allegations against one of Britain’s most senior policemen, Sir Norman Bettison, over his alleged role in the cover-up and his recent comments about Liverpool supporters.

The watchdog’s announcement that it may be limited in its investigations into one of the most contentious police operations in recent history is likely to provoke fresh anger from Hillsborough survivors and relatives of the 96 victims, as their 23-year struggle for justice continues.

Margaret Aspinall, chairman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, said: “They’ve got to look at it all. If they don’t there will be no trust from anybody.”

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The Police Complaints Authority was one of several organisations that carried out initial investigations into the handling of the tragedy at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final, where failures in crowd control led to thousands of Liverpool fans being crushed into overcrowded terraces at Sheffield Wednesday’s ground.

After studying statements and evidence given to the Taylor inquiry, the PCA announced in 1991 it would hear disciplinary proceedings against two officers while action against 10 others had been considered but later ruled out.

However Chief Supt David Duckenfield, who was in charge of crowd control on the day of the disaster, retired early because of ill-health and the remaining charge, against Supt Bernard Murray, was dropped on the grounds it would be unfair for him to “stand alone” as a “scapegoat” for the faults of others.

Last week the Hillsborough Independent Panel, led by the Bishop of Liverpool, published its findings from studying some 450,000 previously classified documents, which disclosed for the first time the extent of the police cover-up.

More than 100 statements made by South Yorkshire officers had been amended to remove criticism of tactics while senior policemen briefed journalists and an MP that drunken fans had caused the crush by arriving late and without tickets.

The IPCC announced on Wednesday that it is still considering what to investigate in the light of the new evidence, but that it could not re-open matters considered by the PCA.

It said in a press statement: “The review is being undertaken to identify from the report what conduct, by named or unnamed police officers, may require referral and to clarify our jurisdiction.

“To assist in this we are also examining the details of all previous inquiries, particularly the one conducted by our predecessor body, the Police Complaints Authority.

“This is necessary as if matters have previously been dealt with by the PCA it may prevent the IPCC from re-investigating those matters.”

It is thought that the PCA's original investigation focused on the events of the day, rather than the subsequent cover-up, and it may still be able to consider new evidence although it is legally prevented from going over the ground covered by its predecessor.

The new official documents shed some light on the role of Sir Norman Bettison, who was an off-duty spectator at the match but who later made a film putting across the police’s side of events.

He was forced to apologise after saying last week that the Liverpool fans’ behaviour made policing “harder than it needed to be”.

The IPCC confirmed it had received a referral from the police authority in West Yorkshire, where Sir Norman is now chief constable, about him following “complaints from members of the public”.

This concerned “allegations that the Chief Constable, while a serving officer with South Yorkshire Police, was involved in the production and supply of misleading information for the various inquiries that have been undertaken into the Hillsborough disaster” and “the public statement made by the Chief Constable on 13 September 2012”.

“The IPCC is conducting a detailed assessment of the referral to determine how the allegations should be investigated.”

It added that police in South Yorkshire and the West Midlands, the force that approved the doctored statements, are also looking at making referrals.

The IPCC concluded: “We are keenly aware of the public interest in this matter and the understandable concerns the publication of the Panel's report has created. However we must stress that the analysis of the comprehensive documentation disclosed by the Panel will take some weeks to complete.”